Autism Speaks facts for kids
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| Founded | February 11, 2005 |
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| Founders |
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| Merger of |
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| Legal status | 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization |
| Headquarters | New York City |
| Services | Awareness, family services, advocacy |
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President and CEO
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Keith Wargo |
| Joe Vanyo | |
| Subsidiaries | Delivering Scientific Innovation for Autism LLC, Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism Inc, Autism Speaks Canada |
Autism Speaks Inc. is a non-profit organization in the United States. It focuses on raising awareness about autism and is the largest group supporting autism research in the country. They help fund studies about autism and create programs to inform families, governments, and the public.
The organization was started in February 2005 by Bob Wright and his wife Suzanne. They began Autism Speaks a year after their grandson, Christian, was diagnosed with autism. In the same year it was founded, Autism Speaks joined with another group called Autism Coalition for Research and Education. Later, it merged with the National Alliance for Autism Research in 2006 and Cure Autism Now in 2007.
Some groups, like the autism rights movement and neurodiversity advocates, believe autism is a natural difference, not a disease that needs to be "cured." They have criticized Autism Speaks for focusing on finding a cure. In 2016, Autism Speaks changed its mission statement and removed the word "cure."
Contents
History of Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks was started in February 2005 by Bob Wright, who was a vice chairman at General Electric, and his wife Suzanne. They decided to create the organization after their grandson, Christian, was diagnosed with autism. The group began with a large donation of $25 million from The Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus.
Since it began, Autism Speaks has joined with three other autism organizations. These mergers helped combine efforts to fund research, promote different ideas about therapies, and support people with autism.
- In 2005, Autism Speaks merged with the Autism Coalition for Research and Education.
- In early 2006, it joined with the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR). NAAR was founded in 1994 and was the first U.S. non-profit group dedicated to research into autism.
- In 2007, Autism Speaks completed its merger with Cure Autism Now (CAN), which was founded in 1995.
In January 2008, a child psychologist named Geraldine Dawson became the chief science officer for Autism Speaks. In April 2010, the famous artist Yoko Ono was named the organization's first "Global Autism Ambassador." Autism Speaks has also used characters like "Wubbzy" from Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! and Julia from Sesame Street to help spread awareness.
In May 2015, Bob Wright stepped down as chairman, and Brian Kelly took over. Co-founder Suzanne Wright took a break in November 2015 due to illness and sadly passed away in July 2016.
Over the years, several people have led Autism Speaks. Mark Roithmayr was in charge from 2005 to 2012. Liz Feld took over in 2012, followed by Angela Timashenka Geiger in 2016. In October 2021, Keith Wargo became the new president and CEO.
What Autism Speaks Does
Autism Speaks and the groups it merged with have played a big role in raising public awareness about autism research. They also raise money directly for research and work with the government to get more public funding for autism studies.
Research Efforts
Autism Speaks supports research in several important areas:
- Causes of Autism: This includes looking at genetic factors and environmental factors that might be linked to autism. Researchers search for genes related to autism, study animal models, and look into environmental influences.
- Brain and Body Studies: This area focuses on how the brain develops and how it works in people with autism. It also includes the Autism Tissue Program, which collects donated brain tissues for research.
- Diagnosis: This involves studying how common autism is, finding ways for early diagnosis, and identifying special signs (biomarkers) that can help detect autism.
- Therapies and Support: This research looks into different treatments, including medications, behavioral therapies, and psychological support. It also covers ways to help with other health issues that can occur with autism, like sleep disorders or gastrointestinal conditions.
Autism Speaks helps fund the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE). This is a collection of DNA samples and family information that autism researchers around the world can use. It was started by one of the organizations that merged with Autism Speaks.
The organization also supports the Autism Tissue Program. This program manages and shares brain tissues donated for autism research. These donations are very important for understanding the causes of autism.
Autism Speaks also supports networks that develop new treatments for both children and adults with autism.
Position on Vaccines
Autism Speaks believes that vaccines are safe for most children and are important for preventing serious diseases like measles and mumps. They recognize that a very small number of people might have bad reactions to vaccines. They support research to understand if there are any specific groups of people who might react poorly and why.
For a time, Autism Speaks supported research into the idea that vaccines could cause autism. However, many scientific studies have clearly shown that vaccines do not cause autism.
In January 2009, Alison Singer, a senior executive at Autism Speaks, resigned because she disagreed with spending money on new studies about vaccines and autism. She stated, "vaccines save lives; they don't cause autism." Later, she helped start the Autism Science Foundation, which supports autism research based on the idea that autism has a strong genetic link and that vaccines do not cause it.
In August 2014, Autism Speaks stated, "We strongly encourage parents to have their children vaccinated for protection against serious disease." By 2017, their position was even clearer: "Scientists have conducted extensive research over the last two decades to determine whether there is any link between childhood vaccinations and autism. The results of this research is clear: Vaccines do not cause autism."
Awareness and Events
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Autism Speaks helped create the "Light It Up Blue" campaign and the annual World Focus on Autism event. "Light It Up Blue" is a campaign to raise awareness for autism. It happens on April 2nd, which is World Autism Awareness Day, and marks the start of Autism Awareness Month in the United States.
As part of this campaign, famous buildings and landmarks around the world are lit up in blue. For example, the Empire State Building in New York City, the Willis Tower in Chicago, and the CN Tower in Toronto have all been lit up in blue. This tradition started in 2010. Autism Speaks supporters also ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange each year, a tradition since 2008.
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In 2017, the White House was lit in blue to honor World Autism Awareness Day, fulfilling a promise to Suzanne Wright.
In November 2013, co-founder Suzanne Wright published an opinion piece. Some autistic people and their families felt the article used incorrect information and showed an exaggerated picture of life with autism. As a result, John Elder Robison, an autistic self-advocate who was on the organization's advisory boards, resigned.
Different Views on Autism
Autism as a Difference, Not a Disease
Autism Speaks used to describe autism as a "disease" that "takes our children away." This view sees autism as something that needs to be fixed or cured. However, many autistic people and their supporters believe in neurodiversity. This idea means that autism is a natural variation in how people's brains work, not a sickness. They say autistic people are "different but not diseased."
In January 2008, an autistic blogger created a website that made fun of Autism Speaks' portrayal of autism. The website was later taken down. In September 2009, Autism Speaks showed a short video called I Am Autism. This video was criticized by many autism advocates for showing autism in a very negative way, and the organization later removed it from its website.
In October 2016, Autism Speaks changed its mission statement. They removed words like "struggle," "hardship," and "crisis." The new mission statement says that "Autism Speaks is dedicated to promoting solutions, across the spectrum and throughout the lifespan, for the needs of individuals with autism and their families." This change shows a shift towards supporting autistic people throughout their lives.
Spending and Finances
Like many non-profit organizations, Autism Speaks pays its leaders and staff. In 2008, their chief science officer, Geri Dawson, received a salary that included money to help her move for her job. Autism Speaks explained that this pay was typical for leaders in similar non-profit health groups.
In 2012, the organization spent money on salaries for its leaders and key employees. For example, the former president, Mark Roithmayr, and Chief Science Officer, Geraldine Dawson, received significant salaries.
When compared to other non-profit groups focused on autism, Autism Speaks spends a smaller percentage of its total money directly on its main mission. For instance, a 2014 report showed that Autism Speaks used about 70.9% of its money for its mission, while other groups like the Autistic Self Advocacy Network and Autism Science Foundation spent higher percentages.
In 2018, Angela Geiger, who was the president at the time, earned over $642,000.
As of 2020, Charity Navigator, a group that rates charities, gave Autism Speaks a rating of three out of four stars. This included a financial rating of 77 out of 100 and a rating of 97 out of 100 for how transparent and accountable they are.
See also
- Autistic Pride Day
- Autism Sunday
Images for kids
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Autism Speaks logo
